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Friday, 20 September 2013

Gilgit-Baltistan
is politically marginalized yet a geo-strategic region, which borders China, India,
Afghanistan-Tajikistan and Pakistan.
China
has been involved in development of the region since the early 1960s while
recently earmarking billions of dollars for mineral extraction, dam building,
and industrial and telecom growth. The Institute believes that since
Gilgit-Baltistan is sparsely populated, ecologically fragile, and contested by
two nuclear powers, rapid interventions can create political friction at the
global level.

Given
China’s
interest in accessing the Gwadar port through Gilgit-Baltistan, thousands of
Chinese workers and security personnel have entered the disputed region
endangering the well being of locals and placing an extra burden on resources.
It is estimated that China
will invest more than $30 billion in Gilgit-Baltistan in the coming years to
build dams and connect Xinjiang with Gwadar via rail and road.

This
will help China access naval
bases in Karachi
and Balochistan. Chinese firms are also involved in mineral extraction which
has triggered tens of thousands of locals to protest. Although many of these
projects could lead to prosperity, the presence of foreign workers could
deprive the poverty-stricken citizens of economic opportunities. In some
instances, the natives have clashed with Chinese workers demanding their
withdrawal.

The
Institute remains keen in analyzing these evolving situations which have
long-term cultural, environmental and political implications for the region.
The Institute asks the Pakistani government not to promote Chinese Mandarin
language in Gilgit-Baltistan at the cost of the indigenous languages. There is
already a ban on teaching native languages in government schools which could
lead to a cultural genocide.

The
Institute also focuses on terrorism. The Pakistani government has long used
Gilgit-Baltistan to promote insurgency in Afghanistan
and India.
In 1974, Pakistan
violated UN resolutions by abrogating the State Subject Rule and causing
large-scale demographic change in Gilgit-Baltistan. Many internationally banned
state-led organizations have since established their presence in the region.

Extremists
and militants threaten the survival of the native population which follows Shia
and Sufi traditions. Shias refuse to allow their land being used as
sanctuaries, training camps and launching pads for insurgencies which has
become the main cause of their persecution. The Pakistani secret service is
concerned about losing control over the strategic region, and encourages the
persecution ofShias to keep them
subservient. As a result, thousands of Shias have died in the past 65 years
while tens of thousands have been forced out of their homes and continue to
live as refugees.

In
2012, more than 100 Shias of Gilgit-Baltistan were killed by terrorists.
Demographic change through exodus, genocide and forceful conversions has helped
the militants secure grounds in different regions. Growing extremism has
brought social degradation and polarized religious and ethnic groups. At the
same time, it has affected the tourism industry which is the backbone of local
economic growth.

Militants
have also forced India
to increase troop-deployment on the border with Gilgit-Baltistan creating
political friction. As the NATO withdrawal from Afghanistan
is fast approaching, it is feared that Gilgit-Baltistan will once again become
the hub of banned terrorist outfits which intend to infiltrate into northern Afghanistan.
The Institute believes that the fallout of these advances on local people and
culture will be detrimental. Given the gravity of the situation, the Institute
believes that the US
government should declare Pakistan
a country of particular concern (CPC) to contain state-led religious
persecution. The Institute also strongly recommends that Pakistan remove militant camps and
reinstate State Subject Rule in Gilgit-Baltistan to discourage religious and
racial demographic change and resource thievery.

Moreover,
the Institute suggests that Pakistan
resume travel between Afghanistan,
Gilgit-Baltistan and India
to promote trade and secular culture as a counter to the growing extremism. For
centuries, these routes have served as the lifeline of the silk trade and
brought prosperity to the locals. The closed border has directly affected more
than half a million people in Gilgit-Baltistan who now survive on government
handouts and temporary labor.

The
Institute shares the view that isolation and closed borders breeds terrorism
and restricts the ability of the natives to resist militant onslaught.
Therefore resumption of trade on traditional routes will be an incentive for
the locals to empower themselves financially and partner with Western
governments in the fight against terrorism. Resuming travel between
Gilgit-Baltistan and India
is also a humanitarian appeal as it will allow more than ten thousand refugees
reunite with their relatives across the Line of Control, which has become the
Berlin Wall of South Asia.

Pakistan lacks
sovereignty over the disputed region of Gilgit-Baltistan and rules it with
ad-hoc ordinances. As Gilgit-Baltistan remains outside Pakistan’s
constitutional framework, such temporary political frameworks have failed to
provide socioeconomic relief or justice to the locals. These ordinances –
twelve in total since 1948 – have promoted exploitation of resources by
outsiders but with little benefits to the indigenous peoples.

The
Institute remains a committed defender of courageous political and cultural
activists who work at great personal risk. Currently several political
activists are facing sedition charges and detention for challenging illegal
government practices. The Institute demands immediate release of all political
prisoners and an investigation by the UN into the state-led extra judicial
killings in Gilgit-Baltistan.The
Institute also asks Pakistan
and India
to demilitarize the region to de-escalate tension. Pakistan
has fought many wars with India
over Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan, most
recently the Kargil war of 1999 which killed more than 4,000 people in
Gilgit-Baltistan. The Institute supports peaceful dialogue as the only means to
solve the Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan dispute
and expects that the UN plays a supportive role in this regard.

(Senge Sering is
a researcher and human rights advocate. He was born in the UN declared disputed
region of Gilgit-Baltistan which remains in Pakistani control since 1948.
Currently, he is managing the Institute for Gilgit Baltistan Studies, based in Washington DC.
He frequently visits the Geneva based United Nations Human Rights Council, the
European Parliament, the British Parliament and the American Congress where he
raises awareness about Gilgit Baltistan. Senge has been instrumental in
arranging conference on Gilgit Baltistan in collaboration with several US and European
think tanks and disseminating information on related issues)